Review of Akademik Fyodorov icebreaker

RV Akademik Fyodorov ("ледокол Академик Фёдоров") is an icebreaking vessel is owned and operated by AARI ("Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute" / "Арктический и антарктический научно-исследовательский институт", abbreviated as "ААНИИ"). AARI is located in Saint Petersburg, and is the oldest and largest research institute in the Russian Federation in the field of comprehensive studies of Arctic and Antarctica.

One of the Russian icebreaker ships, Akademik Fyodorov is a diesel-electric research vessel (RV) and the flagship of the Russian scientific polar research fleet. The ship was built for the USSR (Soviet Union) and started operations in October 1987. This ship is named after the polar explorer Evgeny Fyodorov, who worked on the North Pole-1 station - the first Russian drifting ice research station.

On August 1, 2007, the Akademik Fyodorov ship departed en-route to the North Pole as part of Russia's efforts to lay pretense to the seabed beneath the North Pole. The vessel sailed with 100 researchers and scientists, equipped with two deep sea mini-submarines. The scientists were dispatched to a depth of over 4000 m (13200 f) where they dropped a titanium capsule with the Russian flag in it. This was a symbolic gesture reminiscent of the USA planting the American flag on the surface of the moon. However, this act doesn't guarantee any Russian rights to extract gas and oil from the sea bed. The scientists aboard Akademik Fyodorov searched for evidence that the 2000 km (1240 ml) underwater mountain range (named Lomonosov Ridge) was actually a geologic extension of Russia. This allowed Russia to lay claim to this region which was under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The Canadian and Danish governments are expected to put forth their own scientific efforts to show that the Lomonosov Ridge is not part of the Russian territory.

Akademik Fyodorov icebreaker vessel details

Note: In case of poor AIS coverage, tracking the vessel's current location will be impossible. You can see the CruiseMapper's list of all icebreakers and ice-breaking research ships in the "itinerary" section of our Icebreakers hub. All states and their fleets are listed there.